


Between Love and Abuse

by Fanfrick



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Veela, Veela Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2019-09-17 00:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16964550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfrick/pseuds/Fanfrick
Summary: Hermione Granger wanted one year without drama. One year without everything going wrong. One year knowing what was going to happen. She wanted a safe and normal year, but nothing is normal after Draco Malfoy kisses her. All of the sudden, her world is thrown inside out and she is left questioning everything she ever knew.Draco has Veela running through his veins. He had wished it would never be active. Of course not all wishes become true. Now he has to fight deal with not only returning to Hogwarts after the war, but also with finding his mate. Though he never expected that both could possibly be connected, when Hermione Granger smacks him he learns he must start expecting the unexpected





	1. Chapter One

It was the brisk morning of the first of September in Wiltshire. The Sun had just begun to rise over the horizon, and a slight wind blew through the trees. A wide driveway led off the lane, and a high hedge curved ran off into the distance beyond the pair of impressive wrought-iron gates. A handsome manor house grew out of the end of the path, lights glinted in the diamond- pained downstairs windows. The only sound that can be heard in the slight sunlight was the pained screams that radiated from inside the home’s cellar.

The interior of the cellar was cold and stony, with walls painted with stains of dried blood. Pillars kept the roof from caving in. There were no lights besides those that came from torches that were lined on the walls. In the middle of the cellar laid a man drenched in blood writhing on the floor. His name was Draco Malfoy and he was carving into his own body with his fingernails, yelling out in pain each time he did. Deep lacerations were covering his mouth, eyes, and back. His whole body felt as though it was on fire like there was a war being fought internally. His blonde hair was brown with dried blood, and his skin was covered in a thick layer of sweat. Every few minutes he would call out for his mother and look to the iron door that sat quite a few feet away. He would’ve tried to leave if he believed himself to be strong enough, but nonetheless he fell into the urge to keep scratching.

On the other side of the side of the door sat a woman on the soft carpeted floors of the estate. She was a nice looking woman with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her pale face echoed worry and her hands were constantly wiping tears from her eyes. Her husband sat next to her, his face hard and cold. His hands were working around the house arrest charm that was stuck to his ankle. He would rather focus on something that was temporary rather than the endless change his son was going through. The man flinched slightly as his son’s screams got louder and more painful. It reminded him of all of those tortured in the cellar during the war. It reminded him of when he was tortured in the cellar. He hated to admit it to himself, but he knew he was more broken now than he used to be and hearing his son in endless pain felt almost like knives being driven into his back repeatedly. He was about to break every promise he had ever made to himself and open the door when the scream suddenly stopped. He and his wife waited for what seemed to be forever for some sign that it was over, when the door opened and out stepped his son. Draco was drenched in blood from head to toe, and his eyes, which normally were cold and emotionless, looked broken beyond repair. All of his wounds had disappeared, but he still looked sickly and vomit was dried around his mouth. He wiped his mouth with his arm, “I guess we are lucky I packed my trunk yesterday. Now, if you two do not mind, I think I will go bathe before I leave to go catch the train”

* * *

 

When Draco boarded the Hogwarts Express, his hair was still wet. He had picked an empty compartment away from everyone else, not that it was truly a choice with how quickly people turned away once they saw him sitting. Even Pansy Parkinson was smart enough not to sit by the wizard. He ran a hand through his wet hair as he looked out his compartment window. Shockingly enough at the end of the platform sat the Weasley clan as well as Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. He had read earlier that year that none of the Golden Trio would be returning to Hogwarts the next year. It was one of the only reasons why he felt comfortable enough to return. He didn’t want to face them after everything he did. It was quite worrying to him to see that there was two trunks with the group. One was obviously Ginny Weasleys trunk, as her initials were labeled on the side facing him. He had no idea who else’s trunk was with hers, but he speculated it was the bookworm of group. It had shocked him that she wouldn’t want to return. It always seemed so obvious that she would want to finish her education. After all, who would she be without school.

He watched as Hermione wrapped her arms around Ronald Weasley’s neck and give him a kiss on the cheek. Draco felt a sense of longing looking at the couple, as he knew that even with his Veela mate after everything he had done he didn’t deserve anything like that. He didn’t deserve love, and he most definitely didn’t deserve a soul mate. That didn’t mean that he didn’t want one though. He adjusted his prefect badge on his chest as he watched the two lovebirds separate. He watched as she threw her hands over Harry and gave him a tight hug. They said something that seemed sweet, but Draco couldn’t tell what it was through the glass of the train.

Soon enough, Hermione and Ginny left and boarded the train outside of his eye line. Draco looked down for a second and when he looked back up he was surprised to see Ronald Weasley’s eyes staring back at him in a calculating way. As much as Draco wished he could be mad at redhead, he couldn’t, not after the trio had stood up for him during his families trial. Without all of their testimonies, Draco had no doubt that he would’ve died in Azkaban from his transformation. It was due to them that his mother and him were on probation for the next 2 years, and his father had the luxury of house arrest. 

Draco watched as Harry grabbed his friend arms and brought him out of his sight, no doubt going to wave at their girlfriends before the train left. Draco looked down at the wristwatch he had gotten over the summer from his father. They had less than a minute until the train would begin to take off. Sure enough, before Draco could’ve blinked the train began to move its wheels and move towards their destination.

Midway through the train ride, he heard a slight tap at his window. Draco lifted his head off the seat and used a quick spell to open the door. Outside the door was his best friends from before the war, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, smiling at him. Draco pushed up with his arms until he was in a semi-comfortable position and put his walls back up, hiding his true happy feelings of seeing the boys behind a cold mask “What do you want?”

The boys walked into the compartment and Theo placed himself down on the other side of the compartment then Draco. Draco noticed that Blaise had the Head Boy badge attached to his Slytherin robes. Draco took a deep breathe taking in the smells from outside the compartment, before Blaise shut the door and sat his bum down next to Theo. Theo smiled at his friend, “Can’t friends just hang out together on the train before returning to school?”

Draco rolled his eyes and went to scratch his back. Before his hands reached the skin though, he thought back to earlier that day when his wings bust through his back. He thought back to how he could feel each one of his newly acquired traits—including a beak and feathers—beneath his skin ready to burst out at any moment. He thought about how his nails elongated and stretched into talons before his whole hand caught fire, and slowly drew his hand away, “If you had sat with me at the beginning of the train ride, but hours have passed and you two just now want to sit with this ex deatheater. You can tell why I may be a little suspicious.”

Theodore’s smile transformed into a smirk, “We would’ve sat by you at the beginning if Pansy had not come to us saying you were freshly showered and obviously going through something. And I believe the last time you were going through something and we tried to help you hexed us. We were helping by being away.” 

“Well maybe you should’ve stayed away,” Draco said readjusting his robes. He looked over to Blaise and raised one eyeball, “Where is your girlfriend anyway?”

Blaise’s face immediately became annoyed. Even though Pansy and Draco never technically dated, Blaise was rather jealous of how close they used to be. This became more obvious after the war, when Blaise made it clear to Draco that he didn’t especially know whether he fell on Blaise’s friend or foe list since Blaise didn’t believe in anyone’s blood being more pure than someone else’s like Theo and Draco believed. He was worried that they may erase every notion he had gotten Pansy to believe in the time they were together “She’s with Zoe Accrington probably gossiping about how Granger is back without the rest of the trio. Personally I don’t understand why people are so shocked. Granger is the independent one of the group. She never needed Potter nor Weasley, they needed her.”

To Blaise’s shock, Draco nodded his head. Theo clearly didn’t notice the silent exchange. “I would think they would be gossiping more so about the fact that she stepped down from prefect and denied the position of Head Girl much aganist McGonagal’s wishes,” Theo said as he pulled out a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans and plopped a few into his mouth, “Maybe it has to do with her being raised by muggles. I don’t think she can truly understand how many job offerings she can get with Head Girl status.”

Blaise narrowed his eyes at Theo. After spending the whole summer together, he had hoped some of his ideologies would’ve passed to his friend, “Or maybe she doesn’t need to be Head Girl to get any job she wants. I mean she is the smartest witch I’ve ever met and a war heroine. She already was bestowed Order of Merlin, First Class and got an offer to be an Auror which she turned down unlike Weasley and Potter.” 

Theo put up his hands in a surrender motion, “Hey, Hey, I never said it was a bad thing to be raised by muggles. You know the war changed my views on their rights. I may not think it’s best to be raised by their kind, but that’s only because you come into the Wizarding World blind.”

Draco watched the two boys exchange rather closely, after the war he found that he actually agreed with Theo on the status of muggleborns in the wizarding society, and he for one was still perfectly content with never truly knowing about the muggle world. In fact, he would credit his change of views solely on Hermione Granger. He still had nightmares of when she was brutally attacked by his aunt. He kind of respected her for how she stood her own aganist Bellatrix, but he would never admit that especially not to her. It was best if they just stayed away from each other. After all, she couldn’t give him anything he needed and the most he could give her was memories of the past, and he couldn’t remeber a single one when he had done something good for her. 

Theo and Blaise continued with their banter. Draco zoned out and stared out the window. Draco didn’t even notice when the two boys started watching him. They watched as he rubbed his eyes clearly tired from the morning. His hair wasn’t combed or slicked back like he wore it before the wore. Even more, his clothes were big aganist his body as if he lost weight but he didnt look any smaller, like he had stopped carrying about sizes and how he looked to the public. They noticed how every few minutes he’d get this faraway look in his eyes, as if his mind was somewhere else, completed different than the Malfoy who was always on guard during the war. It was a nice sight to see, being it seemed that their friend was seemingly comfortable once more, but it was also worrying for they had never seen him look so broken.

Theo leaned over to Blaise and whispered into his ear, “Is it just me or is he different?”

Blaise simply nodded.


	2. Chapter Two

September turned to October quickly. The trees’ leaves, which had been a deep green, changed into vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow before falling off, landing gracefully on the soft ground. Hermione was glad that she could experience a normal fall, for once. This year was one of her first years at Hogwarts without some sort of drama happening, and it was nice for her to simply be able to take a nice deep breathe of the morning air. Hermione sat outside of Hagrid’s hut, a cup of warm tea in her hands. She was utterly thankful that Hagrid allowed her to study there instead of the library. Ever since the room of requirement burnt down, she had become sort of a claustrophobe, and being in the close shelves of the library for too long brought this out. Crookshanks sat next to her as she looked over her potions book.

Hermione glanced upwards at the students who were walking nearby. She couldn’t help but to feel a pang of sadness as she watched three first year laughing together. One of the worst things about coming back to Hogwarts after the war was the nostalgia that came with it. She never felt more outcasted than she did whenever she was around her friends. They didn’t understand that at 11 years old she began fighting a war without even knowing it. She couldn’t go to certain parts of the school without feeling a rain of sadness for those who didn’t survive the war. She hated to admit it, but she sometimes wished she was never a witch. She sometimes wished that she could’ve grown up shielded from the war. She wanted to be able to look back on her childhood and just be happy. She wanted to have memories of playing games with her friends, going to parties, falling in love, and falling out of it. She wanted the normal happiness and heartbreak.

She rubbed her arm in the spot her mudblood scar laid. At the same time that she wished she was just a muggle, she was also glad she wasn’t. Her first four years had been some of the best times of her life, even though they had been full of dangerous adventures. It wasn’t until Voldemort came back that she started wishing the adventures had never happened. It wasn’t until the war started that she felt like there was a huge burden placed on her chest. Some days she was stronge enough to ignore the feeling. It was easier with Ron and Harry. They understood her more than anyone else. She loved them both. They were her anchors. They were her family. She took a deep breathe, grabbed her potions book, and began to walk towards the school.

Once inside she traced her hands on the walls, feeling every crack and crevis. She smiled as she thought of all the times she walked the halls with more books than she could possibly carry in her arms. She must’ve looked crazy as she stepped into her potions class. When she walked through the door, she was pleased to see Slughorn smiling at her. She was happy she wasn’t the first one in the class. She still cared about her studies, but one of the biggest changes from the war was she had learned how to take a good moment and make it better. 

She leaned back in her seat as she watched the other students pile into the room. NEWT Potions was one of the only classes that Hermione had that only had Gryffindor and Slytherins. Most all of her classes were electives or had a different pairing of houses, meaning she barely saw the Slytherins outside of potions. Hermione smiled to herself as Ginny Weasley walked into the room and sat next to her. 

Ginny was one of the few people that Hermione enjoyed being around. Ginny carried herself rather tall, clearly not afraid of anyone else’s opinion, and could always make Hermione laugh, even when not trying to. Hermione thought Ginny was the perfect mix of both Ron and Harry, all while still being her own person. There was also the fact that they had grown close over the summers they shared the same room. Ginny opened her mouth and let out a long yawn as Slughorn began discussing the lesson, “Today we shall be brewing the Beautification Potion. Does anyone know what it does?”

Hermione’s hand shot up promptly, nearly hitting Ginny in the face causing her to let out a small gasp. Slughorn looked around the class, his eyes glancing over Hermione. “Mr. Malfoy?” 

Hermione looked at Malfoy for the first time since school had started. She had seen him in the class and corridors, but never directly stared at him until right then. He looked different to Hermione. It wasn’t some crazy differences, just some minor changes like his hair and clothes, but it was enough to make her furrow her brows in confusion. He sat a little slouched, but still looked regal. Draco made eye contact with her before giving her a smirk and answering Slughorn, “The beautification potion enhances the attractiveness of the drinker's physical appearance. The potion removes all physical imperfections. The drinker's teeth whiten and become perfect, muscle mass is enhanced and perfected, their voice becomes more alluring, melodic, and seductive, and their bodily scent becomes extremely pleasant and compelling.”

Slughorn gave the boy a rather big smile, obviously not expecting such an answer from him, “Correct. Ten Points to Slytherin. Can anyone tell me the effects it has on others?”

Hermione’s hand went up again, this time careful not to hit Ginny. Slughorn gave her a smile, “Go on Miss Granger.”

”Others feel a pull towards the drinker, even if they can't justify it, and feel immediately bonded. The affected targets remain fully themselves, but they long for the user's favour and affection, and can't bring themselves to cause them harm except as a last resort, like an irreplaceable treasure too precious to be lost,” Hermione said carefully. 

“Correct like always. 10 points to Gryffindor. Now, We will only be brewing this potion at its lowest efficiency. This will only enhance the beauty within the participant for approximately 5 minutes. Open your books to page 219 and get to work. Anyone who can brew the potion will be allowed to try the potion at the end of the class.”

Hermione opened her book quicker than anyone else. This was not because she wanted to use the potion to be beautiful, she had already accepted herself and every flaw she had, it was more so because she truly wanted to learn. She was a know it all, but she most definitely didn’t think she knew enough. She traced her fingers over the steps before following them exactly. She was the last one to finish.

* * *

 

Draco was the first one to finish his potion. It wasn’t a very difficult brew, and Draco had always had an affinity to potions. It was just one of those things that came naturally to him, much like his dearly departed godfather. Once he was done, he looked around the room. Every since he had come into his “inheritance”, Draco had felt an undefinable need to find his mate. It was although his entire body was palpitating ever time he was near a girl. His hands would purposely graze girls palms when walking past him, and his eyes would search out girls every chance he got. He felt like a true creep around ever girl he saw, but he couldn’t help it. It was as if every part of him was controllled by the need to find his mate. He had already ruled out Pansy, Weaslette, and quite a few sixth years. He wasn’t even sure if she would be at Hogwarts. Still, Danco’s eyes scanned the girls in the room. Most of the people in the class were already done. The only people that remained working on the potion was Longbottom and Granger.

The moment his eyes hit Granger he froze. He was surprised that she was still working on a potion that had taken him at most ten minutes to do. He had always considered her to be better than him at all subjects. He was glad to have beaten her at something. When she finally finished, she looked rather proud of herself. Draco had no doubt that her potion would be one of the best in the entire class.

He was correct, of course. The moment Slughorn laid eyes on her potion, he got this glint in his eyes. He only ever got that look when something was perfect. “Well Miss Granger,” He said pouring some of the potion into a vial, “It seems that you are the first of the bunch to get to try the potion.”

He handed her the glass. Her potion was a perfect swirl of colors. Draco looked down at his own potion to make sure it looked the same. He was pleasantly surprised when he determined it was. “Thank you Professor,” Hermione’s gentle voice said. She looked genuinely happy. Slughorn waited patiently next to her, watching as she raised the vial to her lips. Something about the way she did it almost set Draco off. It was close to seductive, though he was sure she did not intend for it to be that way. “Oi Granger hurry up,” he said his voice nearly coming out anxious, “We haven’t got all day.” 

Hermione shot him a glare that he was sure would’ve killed the strongest man before throwing her head back a bit and taking the potion as though it was a shot. She continued to glare at him as her mane became curls and her skin smoothed out. Draco was surprised to think she actually looked better without the potion. There was just something so fake about the way she looked with it. “Damn, Granger actually looks rather hot”, Theo said leaning into Draco. Draco responded with a glare.

Slughorn finally made his way over to Draco after letting the entire left side of the room try the potion. Not a single potion yet wasn’t good enough to test, even Longbottoms. Draco felt his insides stirring while looking at all of the girls in the class. He had no doubt his pheromones had begun to overproduce as nearly everyone was looking at him with mild interest. There were only a few people in the room who seemingly had enough willpower to resist the veela’s charm. Slughorn repeated the same process of securing the potion into the bottle before handing it to the blonde. He drank it quickly, slurping it down in one gulp. At first he didn’t feel anything, but then he felt a tight pain in the his back. In felt as through his muscle were scraping the bones of his wings that laid directly under the skin. Before he could even wince at the pain in his back, he felt his jaw snap almost like when his mouth first turned into a beak the month prior. Draco let out a slight moan as he fell to the hard floor of the classroom. Everything was shifting around, making it hard for him to focus. He heard some noise, but couldn’t decipher what was going on around him. He saw a blur of heads above him and felt two sets of arms lift him up. Draco didn’t see much more until darkness came and wrapped around him much like a comfortable blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not lie. I definitely don’t think this is that good of a chapter. I probably will go back and edit it when the book is finished. I needed the scene of the potions class and the effects of the potion to portray something something that will be shown throughout the book. I don’t yet know if I will ever blatantly state what exactly this is, but I do wish I could’ve written it a little bit better for this chapter. It is very difficult to publish often (which I try to do because I have fun challenging myself) while also trying to connect subtle points. Some aspects of this scene will be semi-important later on, but in reality it is kind of just a filler chapter.


	3. Chapter Three

When Draco’s eyes opened, he was in the cold stone potion’s room. His fingers felt cold almost as though they were not there. He tried to look at his hand to see what was was wrong but found he couldn’t move his gaze. His eyes were locked with the figure of a girl who stood in from of him. She was a shadow with no face or features, but somehow he knew she was looking at him. His eyes were met with hers, and although he couldn’t move he felt one hundred percent complete. Shivers went down his spine as she smiled at him, “Your wings are quite beautiful.”

Her voice was like the sunlight on his skin, warming and smooth, and all of a sudden he found himself able to move. He turned his head quickly looking at his wings. They were a dark brown color, much that like an eagle, and when he looked down at his hands there were talons. His face shifted to one of terror and when he tried to yell out squaks came out. He brought his taloned hand up to his mouth and felt the beak around his face. He looked at her his eyes wide.

She tilted her shadowed head slightly, “Are you scared of yourself? You shouldn’t be. You are the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.”

Draco looked at her his eyes turning to anger as they fought his Veela’s desires. He felt her smile fall with pity, “I see...” she trailed off, “You clearly aren’t ready yet.”

Draco’s head was full of his screams. He wanted to speak. He wanted to tell her to screw off, but at the same time he wanted to know what she had to say. He wanted to be ready.

She shook her head, “No. You most definitely aren’t ready yet. You are scared. That’s okay. Unfortunately for you, I don’t believe that you’ll be able to avoid fate much longer. For it has already been set in motion.”

She walked over to the boy and ran her hand down his face, paralyzing him once more as tingles ran throughout him. She leaned down to his ear and whispered softly, “I’ll meet you soon, my dear mate.”

Draco didn’t even have time to process what had happened before she kissed his cheek and everything went black.

* * *

 

When Draco opened his eyes once more, he was greeted with the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. Headmistress McGonagall stood over him with a spoon in her hand. His mouth tasted like metal and was as dry the Sahara. He sat up slowly as Madam Pomfrey handed him a cup of water. McGonagall set the spoon down on his bedside table as she moved over to the side to give him some room. His whole body felt as though it was on fire.

”Do you know how reckless you are Mr. Malfoy?” McGonagall said as Madame Pomfrey shut the curtains around his bed before casting a muffliato around his bed. “I would’ve expected you to opt out of any potion assignment of this caliber for your own health,” The headmistress said with anger clear on her face, “Any self-respecting Veela would’ve, but instead I get an exhausted Miss Weasley outside my door telling me of your stupidity. You are quite lucky of her families knowledge of Veelas or your condition could’ve been much worse.”

Draco would’ve been angry if he wasn’t so confused. He had no idea what McGonagall was going on about. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with the potions assignment. “What do you mean?” He said his voice feeling shaky in his throat.

Madam Pomfrey looked at him, “When did your transformation first take place Mr. Malfoy?”

He didn’t have a chance to reply before McGonagall, “According to the Owl I received from his parents it happened early morning at the start of term.”  
”So you had no time before your arrival at Hogwarts to study your condition?” Madam Pomfrey’s motherly voice rang.

Draco shifted in the bed nervously, “My father went over the basics the week the signs started to show, but besides that I don’t know anything.” Draco had thought that if he avoided the issue it would’ve gone away.

McGonagall sighed, “Draco, Veela are considered a type of fairy. When a potion uses anything from a fairy it becomes extremely toxic to Veela. The beatification potion uses fairy wings. We had to drain your stomach. Miss Weasley contacted her sister-in-law for advice on the matter, and it was thanks to her that we knew we must crush mint leaves into a nullification potion to equal out the effects. You owe them your life.”

Instead of being grateful Draco scoffed, “So, you are telling me the entire group of Weasels know about what I am.”

The headmistress shook her head, “I do not know. That is something you will need to bring up with them. You seem to be perfectly fine now, and I believe that’s what you need to focus on. Please return here if you have any more issues. You may leave.”

He practically sprinted out of the infirmary as soon as he heard the words leave his lips and carried himself up to where he knew the Head Girl’s room was. He banged on the stone wall, not knowing the sequence of taps that would open to reveal the door. He kept banged even when his fist were red and bleed.

“Blimey,” he heard from behind him, “Who would’ve ever thought Draco Malfoy would be so desperate to see me?”

Draco turned around to see tall red head grinning at him. She walked over the the wall and hit the center brick three times in a row. The bricks all moved to the side and revealed a sable door. She walked through the door rather happily. Before the tiles could close once more she turned over her shoulder and looked at him, “Well are you not coming in?”

Draco lifted his feet and walked through the door.

The inside of the room was rather nice. There was a twin bed that sat in the corner. It’s duvet was fire red and its pillows a gleaming gold. There was a fireplace that sat in the wall, clearly not used yet as none of the wood looked burn. There was a rather comfortable looking chair in the center of the room, just close enough to the fireplace to not catch on fire while keeping its occupants plenty warm. An ebony desk sat at the end of the desk. 

Ginny pulled the stool from underneath the desk and brought it to the sitting room across from the plush chair. She motioned for Draco to sit down on it. When he did Ginny followed suit and sat down on the reasonably more comfortable one. She looked at him regally, almost as though she was a queen and he was one of her many people, “I’m sure you are here to—“

Draco cut her off. He was on edge and needed some answers as to who exactly knew what, “Who have you told? I swear if this gets out my father will have you head.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and looked at him a smirk worthy of a Malfoy stuck on her face, “When Harry told me that you used your father for defense, I though he was joking. I mean your father is under house arrest, has lost all standing in the ministry, and his wand has been snapped, yet you seriously still use him as a shield. Get with the times, Malfoy.”

Draco felt his feathers bristle under his skin and his face got hot. He didn’t respond, but simply glared at the redhead. Ginny eyes soften at the boy. It was obvious to that he didn’t want any of this getting out to the public. “Listen, Malfoy, the only person who knows about your condition is my sister-in-law Fleur. I won’t tell anyone else and I will make sure she doesn’t as well as long as you do me a favor. It would be a one time thing.”

Draco bristled, he never thought that a Weasley would take such a Slytherin response to an issue. He had assumed the youngest Weasley would’ve gone straight to her siblings about the affair. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her, his eyes narrowing, “What is this favor, exactly?”

Ginerva smiled before relaxing, “I need you to make Hermione mad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again not my favorite chapter. It feels rather rushed I know. I get the fact that these last two chapters are pretty crappy, but it’s because of the amount of time I have to spend on them. The first chapter allowed me to spend like half a day writing, but I’m now on a time crunch as I have practice on Saturdays, midterms, and service hours. I should be able to spend more time on them after this week. I won’t lie though, my work ethic is going down greatly because of how much I have on my plate and the fact that it is holiday season.


	4. Chapter Four

Draco felt nervous. He was sick to his stomach thinking of Ginny’s deal, and he didn’t understand why. It wasn’t as if he was doing anything truly bad. He just needed to distract her long enough for Ginny to get Potter’s letter from Hermione’s room. When Ginny explained to him the situation, he had nearly burst out laughing. Apparently Potter, in an inebriated state, owled Hermione the previous morning announcing his and Ginny’s engagement, something the two of them had decided to keep secret until the holidays. Harry, of course, sent Ginny a letter as soon as he had sobered up and lucky for them both, Ginny knew for a fact that Hermione had yet to read it. She hadn’t elaborated on how she knew, but it honestly wasn’t any of Draco’s business. He was simply to get Hermione angry enough for her to become totally immersed in the conversation so that she would be a later getting back to her dormitory. 

Draco waited outside the library, where Ginny said Hermione got her nightly books. Draco was rather happy that Hermione apparently didn’t stay long inside, meaning he may actually have a reason to engage conversation. When Hermione walked out of the library, she was shaking slightly. She didn’t seem scared or anything, but looked as if she was on the verge of a panic attack, something Draco had gotten to know quite well since the war had ended. 

He grabbed her arm as she quickly walked passed him. He felt a slight shock through the robe’s sleeve, but pushed it out of his head as static electricity. Hermione wiped her head back shock and anger clear in her eyes. Her free wand dropped the books and reached for her wand that sat in her robe pocket. When she noticed who it was she tugged her arm back hard, causing him to release her. “What do  _you_ want Malfoy,” she said her words like acid. 

“Gosh, Granger, no need to be so hostile. I was just wondering if you are okay,” He said responding with his signature smirk, “You look a little shook up.”

Hermione’s glare got sharper, clearly not trusting of the blonde boy in front of her. “I’m perfectly fine, Malfoy. If you really want to worry about someone, worry about yourself. I do believe I watched you pass out this morning. Are you even sure you should be out of the hospital wing yet? I mean you were in there for quite sometime when Buckbeak attacked you. Too bad you can’t execute a potion, huh?”

Draco bristled, ever since they had gotten back to Hogwarts, Hermione was seemingly more hostile towards him than ever before. Of course, they hadn’t actually held a discussion, but it was obvious with the glares she provided for him. He wondered if it had something to do with his trial even though she had helped him out of Azkaban with her testimony. He wondered if she regretted it. “What is your problem, Granger? I don’t remember doing anything to you since we have returned to Hogwarts that warrants this behavior. I’m just doing my good guy duty and asking you how you are since clearly Potter and Weasel haven’t.” 

Hermione let out a short obviously sarcastic laugh, “You a good guy? That’s funny, Malfoy. You have never been a good guy. Sure, you may not be a terrible person worthy of going to Azkaban, but that doesn’t mean I want you anywhere near me. And it’s not your job to make sure I’m okay.”

Draco noticed she didn’t stand up for her two best friends. He shifted his prefect badge and lifted his robes a bit so that the badge was in her eyeline, “Actually, Granger, my job as a prefect is to do exactly that, and if your little boyfriend can’t seem to notice that something is wrong with you then you should be happy I can.”

Hermione crossed her arms and looked up at him. It was the first time he really noticed how much taller he was than her. When she looked at him, he couldn’t help but feel his Veela start coming out. He felt the need to touch her and see if she was his. He found himself start to lift his arm up before he got himself back under control. He decided then and there that he shouldn’t have agreed to Ginny’s stupid deal. Now, he was in a corridor with a girl who hated him as his pheromones and charms where on the brink of coming out. Her voice snapped him slightly back into reality, “You have no right to speak about Ron that way. You are half the person he is.”

He gritted his teeth to get himself under control, “Glad we both acknowledge that he is not a man,” he said through his teeth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure standing there, letter in hand. She was waving it above her head, a signal to end the conversation.

Hermione’s hand twitched and her face went red with anger. “Ugh... you little....” She bit her lip slightly clearly too furious to even think.

Draco smirked yet again, finally getting back to normal, “Who would’ve thought you were more quick witted as a third year.” 

Draco barely had time to react as her hand rose into the air and smacked him as hard as it could. He felt himself paralyze as she walked angrily away, not even noticing Ginny hiding behind the corner. Ginny rounded the corner as soon as she passed and walked up to Draco, who now stood with a shocked look on his face and his hand cupping his cheek. “Thank you, Malfoy”, She said with an actual smile, “Even if you only did it for your own benefit. That was still a pretty chill thing to do.” 

Draco would’ve said your welcome if it wasn’t for the tingles radiating from the place Hermione’s palm hit his face. He was sure the mark was red as he rubbed it softly, almost carrasing it, but he couldn’t help but to feel happy. For the tingles were not only those of pain but also those of pleasure. His senses were all of the sudden stronger and his Veela seemed to work with him for once as he took a deep breathe, smelling the lavender scent that Hermione left behind, and that’s when he knew Hermione was his mate. He never dreaded anything more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is an extremely short chapter with only around 1000 words. I was going to write Hermione’s POV in here two, but when I actually began to write it I decided that it deserved to have its own chapter. I think my amazing updating schedule should make up for how short this is especially considering everything going on right now. Hermione's chapter has already been started so it should be up pretty soon as well. I do plan on making the chapters longer than these last two. I hope you guys like it though.


	5. Chapter Five

The candle lights of Hogwarts twinkled, blurred, and sparkled in Hermione’s eyes. She wiped away the falling tears as she quickly walked to her dormitory. She was careful to keep her head down as she walked to make sure no one would notice how upset she was. She didn’t even truly know why she was crying. She had dealt with Draco all through Hogwarts. She should have been used to his pointless drama by now, but she was not. She didn’t even feel bad about hitting him, in fact, the slap had sent plesant tingles up through her hand and arm. When she got back to her room she noticed that none of the other girls were back yet. That wasn’t all too surprising, as Hermione was normally the first one to come to the dormitory. She walked over to the window and stared out. She could see McGonagall pacing in her office. It was something she had watched all through Hogwarts with Dumbledore. It wasn’t until McGonagall got an owl that Hermione remember she got one earlier that morning from Harry. She looked around the room for the letter, but couldn’t find it anywhere. It wasn’t on her bed where she left it nor was it anywhere else. She let out a small scream of frustration. The day had been so annoyingly eventful she was truly looking forward to seeing what Harry wrote her. He and Ron had been extremely busy since becoming Aurors meaning she always got excited when she received a letter from the two so losing one was extremely upsetting to the brunette.

She sat on her bed in exasperation. Of course, she would lose her letter right after getting into a fight with Malfoy. It was as though she didn’t have any luck on her side. The world felt aganist her. She closed her eyes tightly and grabbed the softest pillow on her bed, hugging it as though it would disappear if she let go. Her lungs felt as though they were in a volcano. They were burning as she tried to control her breathing so she wouldn’t start crying again. She tried to imagine Ron and what he was doing. She tried to see him working and writing, but her mind was shrouded in darkness, not allowing her to see anything with her eyes closed. She still remembered him and still imagined it, but it was all just her trying to. She couldn’t actually see anything.

She released the pillow and rolled onto her back, looking up at the curtains that hung from her bed. She smiled as she thought of the first time she had ever walked into the dormitory. She was amazed. Her bedroom back home was tiny and poorly decorated. She almost laughed when she thought of the years before Hogwarts, it was funny how it felt not that long ago, but at the same time forever ago. Time and Change were funny things. They both happened incredibly fast and incredibly slow. There was nothing else like them. Hermione remembered when she was afraid of the dark. It didn’t feel that long ago, but she knew it was. It was kind of comforting knowing that she had a life before she met Ron and Harry on the train. She had fears. She had dreams. She had friends before she was a witch— although the numbers were few—and she didn’t feel the need to have them protect her then and she didn’t feel the need for that now. She could handle herself. She handled bullies before Hogwarts, and she could deal with Malfoy now as well. She was strong. She survived a war. She could survive one more year at Hogwarts. She didn’t need to run off into the muggle world. She could handle it. She knew she could. She repeated it in her head like a mantra until she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning she was late to breakfast. Her hair was unbrushed, causing it to poof up like a lion. She had fallen asleep in her robes and shoes, and instead of changing when she woke she simply used a freshen up spell. As soon as she sat down next to Parvati and Ginny she almost fell asleep again. The previous day had truly worn her out for some reason. She had been through worse, but nothing felt this tiring. It was almost as if she didn’t sleep at all, even though she knew she did.

”Gosh, Mione, if I didn’t see it myself, I would ask if you slept at all last night,” Parvati stated looking over at her with worry. Being Hermione’s roommate Padma was quite used to the girl waking up screaming at night, but she didn’t remember waking up to her the previous night. In fact, when she had returned to the room Hermione was sleeping peacefully, probably for the first time all year. 

Hermione yawned and rubbed her eyes, “I had a horribly long day yesterday.

Parvati looked confused while Ginny just nodded as if she already knew. Ginny looked up at Draco Malfoy quickly before returning to her food. Hermione bit into a piece of toast and nearly moaned out in joy. It was if every single one of her taste buds were extra sensitive today. Eloise Midgen looked over at her and laughed, “Does that have anything to do with you looking royally shagged?”

Hermione’s face went hot and she was certain her cheeks were tinted pink, “No, Eloise, I happened to just fall asleep in my clothing. Does it truly look that bad?”

Eloise nodded sheepishly, “Did you do a ironing spell?”

Hermione pushed her hair back with her hand, “I hadn’t thought about it. I’ll just change before Potions. I probably need to get out of these dirty clothes anyway.”

Parvati shrugged, “I think you’ll be okay. You are with Ron and no one really thinks of you as that kind of girl. Not like Lavender.”

The table went quiet after that. Lavender had decided not to come back to school because of her lycanthropy. As much as she had gotten on Hermione’s nerved when she dated Ron, she was still her friend and couldn’t imagine what she was probably going through.

After a few minutes of silence, one of the second years began to talk and the table erupted into sound again. Hermione cracked her neck as Ginny began gushing over Harry to Parvati, who clearly looked annoyed. Hermione felt completely calm for once. Almost as though someone was protectively watching her. Little did she know that the moment she walked into the Great Hall, Draco hadn’t stopped gazing her way.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry its short. Ive been short on time.

The aroma of the great hall was homely and calming. Nearly every student sat comfortably with their friends, their mouths full of food. Pansy’s dark eyes watched Draco as she brought eggs into her small mouth. Blaise’s arm was draped around her as he ranted with Theo over the latest herbology lesson. She shewed her eggs quickly before swallowing. “Draco?” She questioned softly, trying not to draw the attention of her boyfriend or his best friend.

Draco didn’t respond. His head was was stiffly set in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Pansy sighed and brought her fingers through her bangs. “Draco?” She asked again louder, gaining the attention of Blaise.

Blaise watched as Pansy once again called the blonde boy, “Draco?” Blaise knew she must be at her wits end with the Slytherin boy.

”What is he looking at anyway?” He asked as he tried to follow the boy’s eyes. He was met with only a shrug from his girlfriend.

”Hermione Granger,” Theo’s smooth voice came with the answer. The pair of lovers turned to him in shock. He ripped a piece of toast before shoving it into his mouth, “Haven’t you noticed? He has been doing this for weeks,” He said, his mouth still full.

Pansy tried not to cringe at her friend’s manners, but failed. “What? Since when?” She questioned, trying to figure out whether or not the boy was being serious. Draco was not the type of person to be interested in the Gryffindor princess. From what she knew, he still had beliefs that he was somewhat better than muggleborns. It just didn’t make any sense.

Theo swallowed and took a sip of his orange juice, “I don’t know. A while, I guess. I first noticed in October, but it’s gotten worse over time. At first we could carry on conversations with his eyes darting to her every few minutes, but now it is as though he is in a trance until she leaves.”

Pansy furrowed her eyebrows. It was now late November almost early December. Surely, Theo must’ve been wrong about something or another because she was positive they would have realized before. Theo finished eating all of the food on his plate and looked over to her eggs, “Are you finished with that?”

She passed him her plate. 

“You know, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Theo said scooping a mouthful of eggs into his mouth, “He’ll be back to normal when she leaves, and she always leaves in half the time we do.”

”How can you be sure it’s Hermione?” Blaise asked his face mimicking his girlfriend. 

Theo smirked like he knew something they did not, “Like I said, she always leaves in half the time we do.” Theo drank some more orange juice. “Speaking of which,” He said looking around the room, “That should be around now.”

Sure enough, the group watched as Hermione Granger stood up from her table leaving behind her Gryffindor friend’s, Draco’s head finally moving as it followed it. Once she had walked out of the room, Draco’s head had snapped back to the Slytherin table where he was shocked to see his friends staring at him. “Strange...” Blaise said softly.

”What?” Draco said, looking at his friends clearly confused. Theo shrugged and went back to his food while the other two gave Drace a calculating look.

They continued to stare at him for a few minutes longer, making him rather uncomfortable. “What?” He said a little more forcefully. 

“They want to know about the thing with Granger,” Theo’s voice rang out. His plate was clean again.

Draco’s face flushed red. Did they noticed him looking at her? If so he was completely and udderly screwed. He put on a face of disgust, “What thing with Granger?”, he asked defensively. 

Blaise gave a stout laugh, “What thing with Granger?” He laughed again.

Pansy nudged her with his arm. She understood why Draco may not want them to know. After all, apparently it had started a month ago and neither of them noticed, “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t wish to Draco. I get it.”

Draco scoffed, crossing his arms, “There is nothing to get.”

”Okay then.” She said sincerely.

Theo rolled his eyes. He didn’t understand how Blaise and Pansy could be so daft. “Seriously Draco, just tell them already.”

Draco looked at him in shock. There was no way that Theo of all people could know his secret. “Tell them what?”

Theo’s smirk took over his face. He had a glint of mischief in his eyes. That’s when looked Draco directly in his eyes. “That Hermione is your soulmate, of course,” He said it as though it was obvious. Like it was something anyone would notice. He then looked down to Draco’s plate that had yet been touched, “Are you going to eat that?”


	7. Chapter Seven

Hermione felt sick. It was the kind of sickness that lasted weeks, slowly progressing and getting worse, and that’s exactly what it had been doing. It had started slowly in October with a yawn, but over the month she had just gotten more and more tired as Yule approached. It was as if someone was draining the life from her, causing her to fall asleep in places she never would’ve before. She had gone to the hospital wing after she fell asleep in her ancient runes class, where she had been cleared by Pomfrey for simply not being sick. Pomfrey had tested for everything from flu to curses and said she came up clean. Hermione did not believe that one bit, though. She would’ve if it had been for the dreams that appeared once her eyes closed. 

The dreams were never bad, which is something some people would kill to have, but Hermione had more important things on her mind than good dreams. She had NEWT classes to worry about and sleeping in them most definitely wouldn’t benefit her when it came down to it. Not to mention, every time she woke up she found herself rather hot and her senses increased trifold and she felt guilty knowing that the person who caused that most definitely was not her boyfriend. Her boyfriend most definitely didn't have platinum blonde hair nor did he have the most beautiful silver eyes. Her boyfriend most definitely wasn’t a Slytherin through and through, and it rather bothered her that she had never felt such lust for Ron. She loved him, sure. But lust was another thing, and apparently she was lusting after Draco Malfoy. It most certainly didn’t help that she caught Draco’s eyes on her every chance he got. He had the gaze of an eagle, sharp and observant.  It was gaze that sent shiver’s down her spine. And although it should’ve made her feel dirty she couldn’t help but to feel comfortable under his eyes. In fact, the only time she didn’t have the urge to fall asleep and dream was when he was around.

That was how she knew he was somehow behind it all. She had no doubt that he had cursed, jinxed, or hexed her when she had slapped him, and although she felt rather “uncomfortable” when around him the hatred she harbored for the boy only increased. Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone? He was her bully. She was his enemy. It simply didn’t make sense for him to still be messing with her. The war was over and she knew he felt guilty for all he had done. Apparently not guilty enough to leave her alone though.

She had been planning on approaching the boy for quite sometime about the issue. But it seemed as though he was never alone, and Hermione most definitely didn’t want all of the school to know that she dreamt of the boy. Today she had had enough though. She wasn’t going to allow him to keep getting away with whatever he had been doing to her. She had dealt with it for much too long. That’s why she went to the owlery after leaving the Great Hall instead of going to her classes early. She had determined after a short amount of thinking that the most reasonable way of getting the blonde alone would be simply asking him to come alone. 

She wrote the letter in record time before she gave it to the meaniest owl in the entire owlery, Pete. Pete had been known to bite anyone who retrieved a letter, so she was certain that would help to get her message across. Once the owl flew out the window she let out a breathe she didn’t realize she had been holding and slid down the wall to the floor, holding her face in her hands as she realized how exactly her entire plan could go wrong. Maybe she had been too reckless. Maybe Harry and Ronald rubbed off on her. They had in fact been owning each other every once and a while. She reached her hand into her robes pocket and pulled out the most recent letter. It was the only one Ron had sent her without being an attachment on Harry’s. She opened the envelope slowly, rereading the letter for what felt like the hundredth time. It was a simple letter. It went over what had been happening in their lives away from Hogwarts. It went over how they were rebuilding the Burrow. It asked her if she was coming there for Christmas. It was signed the same as all the others:  _Love, Ron._

She knew he meant it. He really did love her. And she loved him. The war had proven that. But the war had also proven that things can all change over night. And she was reminded of what felt like a never ending thought since she had returned to Hogwarts. She was reminded that she was not the same person she was before, and therefore not the same girl he fell in love with. She couldn’t help but to feel guilty again.

* * *

 Pansy had burst out into laugher once she heard the words leave Theo’s throat. It was absolutely comical. It was simply impossible that the two of them could be anything but enemies. The pair weren’t even friends, so if the forces that be would place them together of all people then she was sure that they were all having a good laugh looking at the drama that had spawned from it. You know who wasn’t laughing, though? The three boys who she sat with. When she noticed that fact she shut her mouth rather quickly. And her face that had once been joyful became shocked.

Draco felt his feathers bristle underneath his skin. He resisted the urge to run his talons through Theo’s meaty throat. Internally Draco’s Veela was screaming with rage and he was doing everything possible to keep it down. He had never had such strong emotions due to his Veela before and that scared him beyond belief because he knew over time all of his emotions may increase to the point where he could no longer control them, especially the ones for Hermione. Knowing this he took a deep breathe and gripped the side of the table. 

Blaise’s eyes were following his pair of friends in shock. Blaise would never have believe what came from Theo’s mouth if he had not seen Draco’s reaction. It was clear the Slytherin prince was going through an internal struggle while Theo just sat there looking smug as ever. Draco closed his eyes and when he opened them again they looked like liquid silver, something that Blaise had never seen before. Draco clenched his jaw as Theo took a piece of toast from his plate. His fist clenched around the fork in his hand and Blaise was worried that he may stab the brunette boy. Instead he took a deep breathe and his eyes went back to the iron gray they were before. “How did you figure it out?” He asked calmly. It was almost reminiscent of the late Dumbledore’s calm emotions in the mists of the worst circumstances. The only difference was the fact that they all knew Draco’s was simply a front.

Theo’s smirk fell and his eyebrows furrowed, almost as though he was expecting the exact opposite of a reaction. Like he planned for the exact opposite to happen and now that it didn’t he wasn’t sure what to do. “The library.” He said. The way he said it was so unlike him. It was soft and quiet, the complete opposite from the usual loud and outgoing character of the boy. But then he seemed to change his approach to the problem and he looked back up at him with another smirk, “I may not be as smart as your soulmate, but I am second in our year right behind her. I recognized Veela traits when I see them.”

The other two friends gasped. Draco sighed. He knew this day would eventually come, but he was hoping to hold it back as long as possible. Self preservation, after all. Pansy’s mouth was wide open. She looked rather stupid like that. Blaise’s eyebrows were practically at his forehead. He also looked stupid like that. Theo continued ignoring the other two, “There have always been rumors that the Malfoy line held Veela blood. Of course, very few people believed them. But when I saw you on that train I knew something was off. Blaise and I both did.” Draco’s eyes went to Blaise quickly before Theo continued, “I didn’t think of the Veela thing at first. In fact, I didn’t think about it until after the beatification potion. And I most certainly didn’t start researching it until after I noticed how you were looking at Hermione. But once I did I knew that there was a big chance that it was true, and so I started watching you more until I knew it was.”

Draco rubbed his back, feeling sore much like he had that day on the train. Pansy looked at him her eyes holding concern, “Draco, why did you not tell us?”

Draco glared at the witch, “Why would I? No offense... actually nevermind take offense.... but would you legitimately say you are the most trustworthy person?”

Pansy’s eyes went cold as she stared down at the boy she pined after in her childhood, “No, but I wouldn’t call you one either.” She scoffed slightly. How could this be the type of person she was attracted to, “And unlike those Gryffindors you should know that we stick together through anything. We don’t just go spread rumors and lies about our friends when we get mad at them.”

Draco laughed, “Not unless you are in danger. Then you would rat anyone out to save your own skin.”

Pansy bristled knowing exactly what and when he was talking about. One of her worst moments was when she tried to give up Harry Potter in the war. Honestly though, who could blame her? She had grown up her whole life learning that to survive sometimes you have to throw someone under the bus. It was what her parents taught her. She looked down feeling embarrassed.

”Hey mate. No need to be rude,” Blaise said looking at Draco with a stern look, “She was just asking a question.”

”Well its none of her business.” Draco said harshly. In all honesty he had thought about telling them multiple times. He just didn’t want to be judged by the people he considered to be his best friends. 

Before anyone could say anything else on the matter, a brown owl with chocolate brown eyes flew to their table with a parchment in his talons. Draco didn’t recognize the owl, but the pained look on Pansy’s face indicated she did. The owl landed down right on the empty plates of food that sat in front of Theo. They all watched as he hopped over to Draco, letter barley staying in his talons. He glared at the boy as if daring him to take the letter that now sat underneath his body. Draco took the dare. He slowly reached his left hand closer to the owl. Pansy grinded her teeth together, deciding whether or not to give him a warning. She decided aganist it. Draco had been a complete and utter prick so this was simply her way of repaying that. She turned her face into a smirk as Draco’s hand got closer to the letter. She almost laughed when Pete nipped at his hand.

It took five minutes for Draco to get the letter, and by that time, most of the table was watching the exchange. When he read the letter his face paled, a sizable feat considering the boy was already quite pale. He looked up at the whole table looking at him, clearly curious about the contents of the letter. “What are all of you looking at? This is my letter therefore my business. Get back to your food or I swear I will deduct points from all of you.”

Immediately everyone looked away. Well, nearly everyone. Blaise, Pansy, and Theo were all still staring at him. “Shit. Shit. Shit,” Draco mumbled his eyes scanning the letter once more, “Shit.”

The other three seemed to no longer care that they had been fighting only a few minutes before. “What is it, mate?” Theo said looking questionably at his friend.

Draco slowly lifted his eyes at his friends, but his chin stayed pointed down towards the letter. His eyes held some worry and hope deep below the cold emotionless eyes he wore in front of everyone. The emotions were hidden so low that if Theo hadn’t known him his whole life, he wouldn’t have even noticed. It was a reminder to Theo that Draco was a lot more vulnerable then he seems. It was a reminder that the only thing that stopped him from breaking down like the rest of them did when the war was finished we’re the walls he built before the battles ever arrived. This time he asked a different question, already assuming , “Who’s the letter from?”

Draco licked his lips, that hadn’t one point went dry when reading. “Hermione”, he said his eyes trailing back the down to the words on the paper. He ran his hand through his hair. He had been avoiding her for so long, and now here she is writing him letters. It set off a wave of anger throughout his mind. Why couldn’t she forget he ever existed? He sure as hell wanted to forget she did. 

“What does it say?” Pansy said tilting her head in a way that reminded him of a dog. 

“She wants to meet with me in the Astronomy Tower tonight.” Draco said crumbling the paper before putting it in his robe’s pocket. 

Blaise looked thoroughly confused, “and why is that a problem?”

”Because I sure as hell don’t want to meet with her.” 


	8. Chapter Eight

Hermione was dancing. Her feet were pointed as she leaped from one spot to another on the stage. The curtains were drawn back, but the crowd was empty as her point shoes hit the floor. Her tutu, dawned with feathers, was a glorious white and her normally lionlike hair was nicely put up in a bun. She began to spin around of her toes when a pair of arms gripped her waist. They were strong as they lifted her off the ground. It felt as though she was flying, and for the first time she wasn’t afraid. She knew whoever had her in their arms would keep her safe. The man soon let her go and she continued to dance, not worrying about the man behind her. The dance itself was unlike anything Hermione had ever felt or seen. With the swaying movement of their bodies they told the story of their love. It was unlike the stories Hermione so vigorously read in her free time. This time it was a story were she was the main character. She could not control the events that would follow, but she wasn't completely sure she wanted to. So, she kept dancing. She danced all the way back into the man’s arms. He twirled her gracefully before setting her back down on the ground. The music began to crescendo and her feet began moving faster. She gracefully sautéd around him, still not knowing who the man was. At this point she hardly cared. Whatever was going on felt good. It felt as though her whole body was tingling with some sort of magic. As the crescendo seemingly ended the temp began to quicken. Hermione barely noticed her costume fade from the pearly white it had been to a deep and dark black as she lept into his arms and formed a nearly perfect arabesque. It wasn’t until their faces were nearly touching that Hermione finally recognized the man. She gasped lightly but did not draw away. No, she held the position until the curtains began to be drawn and he slowly placed her down. Then every so slowly, without saying a single word, he drew closer to her than before. He was close enough for her to feel his breath on her lips. She licked them hesitantly, parting her lips for him to kiss. He drew closer to her and she closed her eyes expectant of a kiss.

The kiss never came though and even though her eyes was closed she knew She was no longer on the stage. This time when she opened her eyes she was in a stone room. The walls were stained with blood and the pungent smell of vomit reached her nostrils. She expected to be scared, but surprisingly she wasn’t. She was more worried than anything else. She looked around the room slowly until her gaze hit the figure lying in the corner nearest to the door. He was drenched in, what she could assume to be, his own blood and puke. Even though he had to be in a tremendous amount of pain, he slowly raised himself up from were he laid. His whole body was shaking, but he gripped the walls around him and took deep breathes until he was still. He didn’t seem to realize Hermione was even in the room as he walked over to the door and opened it, stopping for a second before walking away. She closed her eyes again, and this time when they opened she was sitting in the astronomy tower. Her body was curled up near the window. Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway a slight smirk on his face, “Swan Lake?”

Hermione jumped to her feet. There was no way that he could possibly know what she had been dreaming of. “Excuse me?”

Draco’s blonde hair slightly bounced as he walked into the room. Hermione could help but intently watch as his arm raised up to the nape of his neck as he gave her a semi worried smile,”I don’t know if you know this, Granger, but you hum in your sleep. I’m cultured enough to know a good ballet when I hear one.”

She rolled her eyes at the boy,”I’m sure you are”. She lifted her arms into a slight stretch as she pushed off of the ground. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, Hermione was lacking the need for sleep. In fact she felt one hundred percent content and awake in his presence. “Why are you here?” She said as she yawned, completely forgetting that she was in fact the reason why he was there. 

Draco furrowed his brows, and Hermione couldn’t help but to think he looked kinda sweet when he was confused. Not that that mattered. She was happily in a relationship with Ron. She internally blamed her odd attraction to the dreams she had been having. “What do you mean ‘why am I here’? You are the one who told me to me you up here.”

”oh...” Hermione said softly. Then her memories from before came back. All the strange dreams and horrible need to sleep came back to her. She closed her fists in anger. “Oh,” she said a little more forcefully. “You little git. You foul, lonesome, evil, little—“

Draco cut her off with a smile, “Cockroach?”

”Yes! You foul, lonesome, evil, little cockroach!” Hermione said raising her hands in the air in exasperation. She barely noticed how Draco’s hand raised to his face in a defensive motion.

Draco stepped backwards and put his hands out in a stopping motion. “Woah. Woah. I don’t even know what I did, woman.”

”You...you SPELLED me or something. I can’t stop sleeping. I’m always tired and Madame Pomfrey can’t find a viable reason for it. I’m not depressed. I’m not narcoleptic. The only excuse is that someone spelled me.” Her hands raised to her face before pushing back the hair in front of it. 

“Woah. Okay, crazy. And how did you land on me as the operator of this curse? And shouldn’t Madame Pomfrey have found evidence of such a spell in her work ups?” Draco was slightly worried even if he wished he wasn’t. He couldn’t help his instincts for his mate.

”Who else would it be? You are the only person I know who is good enough at dark magic to do such a spell undetectable.” She purposely left out the dreams, hoping to God that they were just a part of her subconscious reaching out to her attacker. 

Anger flooded through Draco’s veins and outweighed the worry he had for the girl. There was no reason for her to be so rude to him. He truly felt horrible about his role in the war. This was the very reason he didn’t tell her about their situation. She would blame him, and he refused to put himself through years of a relationship without love. He took a breathe and tried to rein in his anger. “Excuse me? You have seeming forgotten that the war is over. We are no longer enemies, so stop treating me like I’m less than you.”

Hermione gave a stark laugh, “That’s funny coming from you.”

”I didn’t do anything to you, Granger. Maybe you should get checked out by a muggle doctor or something since you _clearly_  don’t trust those in the wizard it world.”

Hermione’s blood ran cold. He didn’t seem to be lying. How could someone call her rational? She was interrogating a man with no proof other than the impulses she had hidden in her brain. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she feel to the ground on her knees.

Draco felt his eyes go wide and his worry replace his anger. He had absolutely no idea how to care for someone crying. When a Slytherin cried, they cried in silence away from everyone else. The only time they cried in public was when they were using it to their benefit. Draco had only ever seen his mother cry, and he knew how to respond to her. But his mother was a special case. She and Hermione were completely different people, down to the very bones of their bodies. Luckily his instincts took over and he was soon next to her on the floor rubbing her back softly. “No. Don’t cry. It’s okay. I didn’t mean to make you upset”, he whispered softly trying to calm her down. 

She cried harder, leaning into Draco. “Don’t apologize,” she said in between sobs, “You said yourself that you didn’t do anything. I-I’m just so confused”

Draco’s face was one of complete and utter sympathy and worry. “Why?” 

She looked up at him tears streaming down her face, “i just don’t know why every time I close my eyes and fall asleep I dream of you.” 

Hermione didn’t know why she was telling him the truth. She just felt like it was the right thing to do. 

“You dream of me?” Draco said. She nodded slightly. It was as though her nod set off something deep inside him. His Veela was yearning more than ever before for her. He was shaking slightly as he fought the need. 

Hermione cried harder, and Draco could help but want to kiss her even more. Her pheromones were driving crazy, yet somehow allowing him to stay completely calm. 

He brought his hand to her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Her skin ran tingles down his arm and he took a deep breath. The way she was looking at him had him questioning everything. Was it actually possible that she was feeling the same way? He had no clue. He just knew what he wanted and he wanted her. He leaned close to her hesitantly, until their breaths were mingling.

When their lips finally touched, Draco had no idea who initiated the contact. All he knew was that it was right. Their lips fit together perfectly and neither of them were pulling away. Hermione's mouth was like heaven on his. It sent tingles down her spine and further. His heart was leaping from beat to beat like a frog leaping from lily pad to lily pad. He tried to stay focus, but her tongue was a spell all on its own. He may not have cast any spell on her, but this kiss most definitely magic. It was as if he had never had a drink of water, but her lips were a glass. It quenched him, yet all the same left him wanting more. He never wanted to give her up, but sadly he had to breathe.

As soon as their lips parted, reality set in. They sat in a stunned silence at the events that had just passed. Draco knew he needed to say something, but no words came. He was dazzled by the girl in front of him. There was absolutely nothing else like her. He sat there staring as she stood up and left, and for once in his horrible life he realized he had something to hope for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting. Sorry it took me so long.
> 
> This is the first kiss scene I’ve ever written. I mean ever, so like tell me if it was decent. 
> 
> Also if you can’t tell I really love dance. I actually kept swan lake in my mind as I wrote about it. I do plan on editing the scene a bit as I do wish to watch swan lake again soon. (I have tickets! And I can always watch the Barbie movie lol) The whole dance scene may seem completely out of context, but it is actually extreme symbolism on my part. It will be discussed later, but if you want to know I have Hermione playing Odette and Odile. In swan lake, Odette is the victim of a curse who has been condemned to live as a swan unless someone who has never loved before swears to love her forever. Odile is the sorcerer’s daughter who wants to marry the prince that has fallen in love with Odette. SOOOO, Odile pretends to be Odette at this ball. In the end the prince of course ends up with Odette. Hermione playing both the evil and good character is symbolistic of two things, both involving Draco. The first thing it symbolizes are the two ways that she sees him. In her dreams she sees him as her lover, which is Odette. When she looks at her past she sees him as her verbal abuser, which is Odile. The whole dance including both of the is my way of showing the beauty in the place they are in right now. They are dancing between love and abuse (HENCE THE TITLE OF THE STORY) and it is still beautiful. The other symbolism is with Draco being the prince. Draco is the prince because of the obvious of him being her soulmate, but he is also the prince because both Hermione’s perspectives subconsciously accept this fact.
> 
> Another little piece of thought that went into this chapter is making hermione see a piece of Draco’s transformation. I did this after the dance to help show that the situation isnt ideal. There will be pain, both physically and emotionally. 
> 
> Anyway, that’s all for now. Still catching up with life. Plus my best friends birthday is this week and my other friends birthday is also this week. Plus Valentine’s Day. Basically this is a busy week, but I'm trying to get back on my normal uploading schedule.


	9. Authors Note

This book will be placed on hold for the time being. I haven't looked at it since feb. and now that I've read over some chapter's I've decided that I want to edit the first chapters now. These may include edits to the plot so you may want to keep a watch out for changes.


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